Travel Agent - June 9, 2008 - (Page 8)

Agent CONTRIBUTORS Insider Where are your clients headed this summer? ST. LUCIA AND THE MAYAN RIVIERA ª My clients are headed to St. Lucia and the Mayan Riviera this summer,º says Jennifer Byrne of The Tropical Travelers in Malvern, PA. ª [These are] two hot spots for honeymooners this year for their activities and romantic resorts.º DAVID EISEN covers the cruise and hotel beats for Travel Agent. He just returned from a week in Dubai, which he calls Las Vegas without the casinos. ª There are cranes as far as the eye can see,º he says. ª But beyond the development, Dubai is striking for its clash of cultures. In any hotel or street scene, on any given day, you can see a Muslim woman covered head-to-toe in an abaya next to a German businessman in a pinstriped power suit, wheeling and dealing on a cell phone.º Here, Eisen (left) poses with Maurice Zarmati, president and CEO of Costa Cruises North America, subject of this issue' s cover story. As an environmentalist before environmentalism was cool, JENA TESSE FOX was very excited to write about the ecopractices of historic hotels for this issue. Earlier articles for Travel Agent magazine have featured websites that can help the tourism industry, and future articles may or may not feature tourists who help the website industry. Jena is a graduate of Wells College, where she majored in English. She now lives in New York City and sees lots of theater. ITALY AND HAWAII ª Even though the euro-todollar rate is not favorable, many of my clients are going to Italy,º says Lisa Bell of Lisa Bell Travel in Havertown, PA. ª It offers so much to see, do and taste that it is worth every euro! Another of my favorite destinations, which is popular with honeymoon couples this summer, is Hawaii. Clients are willing to splurge for the wonderful resorts and aloha spirit of the islands.º GEORGE DOOLEY is Travel Agent' s contributing editor, covering retail and technology. He is looking forward to Vacation.com' s 10th Annual Conference in Las Vegas this month and renewing long-standing friendships with the 5,000-member consortia founders. Dooley says, ª Conferences are great learning opportunities and offer tremendous opportunities to meet with suppliers and travel agents face-to-face. A lot of organizational skill and planning go into the conferences by skilled meeting planners. They always deliver value.º SOUTH PACIFIC AND EUROPE ª The market shift has been from Hawaii to Mexico and the Caribbean,º says Steve Nicol of The Visitor Center in Denver. ª We are doing very well in the South Pacific and, oddly enough, in Europe Ðin s pite of the euro. Our revenue is up in both destinations. We are also noticing a lot of close-end bookings; people are waiting until the last minute to book a trip.º JOE PIKE, associate editor for Travel Agent magazine, covers the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico and Central and South America. Pike recently returned from Tianguis Turistico 33 in Acapulco, and visited Trinidad earlier this month for the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC). In this issue, Pike writes about Ecuador' s latest attraction (page 38), why agents should care about Nikki Beach Hotel & Resorts' Caribbean plans (page 42) and speaks to an expert on green tourism (pages 44-45). Next on Pike' s schedule is a press trip to Argentina. MARK ROGERS, senior editor for Travel Agent magazine, recently traveled to Fiji, filing online reports during his trip and gathering information for future articles on Denarau Island and Savusavu. In this issue, Rogers looks at Kowloon, Hong Kong, active adventures on Kauai and China tourism in the wake of last month' s earthquake. Rogers covers Hawaii, the South Pacific and Asia, as well as California, where he is based. He attends conferences in those regions, providing him with access to newsmakers and trendsetters in the industry. Rogers is currently in Bangkok, reporting on the annual Thai Travel Mart. 8 | TravelAgent June 9, 2008 http://Vacation.com http://Vacation.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - June 9, 2008

Travel Agent - June 9, 2008 Online Now Contents Contributors From the Editor From the Publisher Pacific/Asia: Hong Kong’s Kowloon District Honors Chinese Traditions while Brandishing Cutting-Edge Style Hawaii: Nature Lovers with an Urge to Get Out and Move Flock to Kauai - Hawaii's Garden Isle Pacific Northwest: Washington State has Become the Hot New Destination for Wine Lovers New Zealand: Two New Hotels Make Queenstown Even More Enticing Las Vegas: The Coolest Places to Beat the Heat are the Exclusive Pools at Las Vegas Hotels Central & South America: A Restored Railway Line Offers a New Way to Enjoy Quito Caribbean & Bahamas: Nikki Beach Hotels' Aggressive Expansion Continues Europe: Reporting Back from the German Travel Mart in Munich Cruises: Princess Cruises Introduces a Group Amenity Feature Cover Story: Costa Cruises Delta/Northwest: The Airline Merger that Could Change the Industry Hotels: Historic Hotels are Going Green Spas: Indulging Guests, with an Environmental Focus Agent Profile: Montrose Travel Shares its Secrets Passport Online: The New Website Supports Agents, Supplies and Consortia Agenda: From Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar China Continues to Welcome Visitors Alternative Fuel for Cruise Ships News from the Caribbean ARC Launches Accreditation Program In the Spotlight Agent Access Classified Marketplace Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - June 9, 2008

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